NSU leaders suspended for 'drunkenly forcing colleagues to dance without their clothes'

When Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi decided to give 'leadership training' to National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Youth Congress workers, he could not have anticipated that some of his youth leaders would need lessons in decorum as well.

NSUI's Mumbai unit president Suraj Singh Thakur was suspended on Monday for alleged 'dirty dancing' at a party function. Two other senior office bearers were also suspended for "indiscipline". All three were reportedly drunk at the function.

According to Congress sources, NSUI leaders were to be given training at a camp organised by Jawaharlal Nehru Leadership Institute at a resort in Panvel. The party had chosen one Suresh Sharma from the institute to conduct the training for the NSUI cadres for three days from March 13 to March 15.

In disgrace: Suraj Singh Thakur (second from right) pictured with Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan and others at an NSUI event

The programme went off well on March 13. But the next day, Thakur and some other NSUI office-bearers drank too much liquor and then forced other office-bearers to dance. According to NSUI workers in Mumbai, Thakur and his drunken mates forced others to dance without their clothes.

Thakur himself was not dressed "decently", according to Congress leaders, though they refused to reveal how 'indecent' his appearance was.

Many of the NSUI delegates present at the function complained about the behaviour of Thakur and Co. The leadership training programme on March 15 had to cancelled abruptly.

Sources said those who attended the
programme directly informed Rahul about Thakur's behaviour. NSUI leaders
said some workers clicked pictures on cellphones and showed them as
'evidence' of how depraved Thakur's conduct was.

Based
on the complaints, NSUI national president Rohit Chaudhary decided to
suspend Thakur, NSUI general secretary Vicky Vhatkar and a national
delegate, Hitendra Gandhi.

Sources said the suspension order was
signed by Chaudhary, following instruction from the Congress vice
president, upon completion of an inquiry.

Thakur,
who was re-elected president of NSUI's Mumbai unit in December 2012, is
close to Congress minister Nasim Khan and former Mumbai Congress chief
Kripashankar Singh.